How can you tell if a chicken is happy/upset?

[aoxa]

A hen is happy when she is scratching about. A hen is upset when she encounters something new. (like housing, etc).

My hens don't wag their tail. The more active they are, the happier they seem

 

[mommissan]

Mine either "purr" or chirp. I just LOOOOVE those sounds....

 

[Chocobo]

Mine do the tail waggle too. I guess that's a good sign.

 

[galanie]

Mine do the tail waggle too. I associate that with happiness. If they're upset, they let me know! And I have a couple that are very vocal when something doesn't go the way they want it it.

 

[BitsyB]

When my girls are lounging around dust bathing or scratching away in the leaves looking for bugs and worms they look most happy to me. And one of my favorite sounds in the world is the cooing they make as they're settling in on their roosts in the coop in the evening... I guess we can't prove they are "happy", but they sure seem very content then.

People who don't have chickens sometimes remark on how stupid chickens are, or say "they can't feel anything". But it seems we backyard chickeners know differently!

 

[teach1rusl]

Signs of my birds being happy, content, or feeling good = purring/cooing, pecking and scratching about with enthusiasm, or flopped over in a pile of sand or dirt looking all relaxed...
Signs of my birds being unhappy or not feeling well = neck tucked in (huddled looking), not moving around much, and distressed bawking sounds
Lots of signs in between

 

[emerald eyes]

I find that my chickens are alot like children. The more vocal they are the more un happy them seem to be. It's been raining the last two days & my chickens are not happy to be locked in their pen. I am waiting for the sun to shine just a little so I can let them out to forage, but it appears that they will have to wait a few more days for the clouds to go away. Nothing like wet, unhappy chickens!

 

[RaZ]

I'm no poultry psychiatrist but I think they show some type of "emotional" response. I can hear differences in the noises that tell me the run is A-OK, or there is a challenge to the pecking order, or when one gets outside of the pen where she is not supposed to be. And then there is the predator alert panic call.

They also show contentment/happiness when I go into the pen or coop. They run over and squat for the rump rub, treats and will make a cooing/purring noise. Even my shy bantams are interested in that and will wait for their turn but only allow the rump rub for a few seconds.

As for being upset over new things, I just don't see it. Probably because since they were peepers, I have moved them around from brooder to brooder, from inside to the garage. From the garage to outside and back in at night before I had the coop finished. Plus I have portable fencing so I move the run on a regular basis to keep the grass growing and give them new areas to scratch in. They follow me and get under foot whenever I start working in the pen, coop or yard.

I think the early conditioning set the tone for their behaviour.

 

[partsRheavy]

They coo, burble and chatter softly when they're happy. When they're out pecking and scratching they seem happy.

If they feel cold they talk rather loudly before going to bed.

If they go "YIPES!!" or "PEEP_PEEP_SQUEEK" something hurts or is really scary. It's ~scary~ going into a cage and being MOVED!!!!

If they go BAWKBAWK at a time they're NOT laying an egg they're worried about predators or they're wanting to get to a safe roost.

 

[epeloquin]

Quote:
I would agree with this. They tend to be loud (if they aren't laying) and they either want something or are upset. When I go to the run and say "do you girls want to come out and play!?" they all come to the front and skitter back and forth and squawk loudly until I let them out.

When they are happy the description "coo, burble and chatter softly " is perfect. Also, there are times when a couple of my girls will come on my lap and rub their head under my neck/beard and they make a noise called 'trilling' which is a sort of clucky purr. Really cute.